HMS Hood, Britains largest warship and pride of the Royal Navy, steams majestically through the Swept Channel on 22 May, 1941. Having fuelled at the Scapa Flow naval base in Scotland, she steers clear of floats suspending torpedo and submarine nets, as she heads for open water and the North Sea. The crew of a naval cutter wave farewell as the mighty battleship departs upon what will prove to be her final voyage.

Fully dressed and resplendent, HMS Hood is pictured preparing for King George Vs review of the Fleet in July 1935 as other capital ships take up their positions around her. Ramillies can be seen off Hoods port bow, Resolution astern, whilst just beyond her boat deck, the mighty Nelson gently nudges into position.

Signed limited edition of 1150 prints.

Image size 25 inches x 15 inches (64cm x 38cm)

Website Price: £ 165.00

To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £320.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £155

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Signatures on this item

*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.

Albert Edward Pryke Briggs, MBE, was born on 1st March 1923 in Redcar, North Riding of Yorkshire. Joining the Royal Navy in 1938 at the age of 15, Ted completed his initial training on the HMS Ganges. 16 months later he was assigned to the HMS Hood, fulfilling a childhood dream of his. On July 20th 1939, Ted joined the ships company. A little over a month later, Britain went to war with Germany. During the time preceding the epic battle with the Bismarck, the Hood was busy patrolling the Atlantic and escorting various ships. Ted was aboard the Hood when she fell to Bismarck on 24th May 1941. After his survivors leave ended in June, Ted was posted to the HMS Mercury. The remainder of the War found Ted being posted to various other ships of the Royal Navy. Ted remained in the navy after the war and retired on February 2 . 1973. Sadly, Ted Briggs died 4th October 2008, aged 85.

Over the last 30 years, Ivan Berryman has become a leading aviation, motor racing and naval artist. In this time, the subjects of his paintings have been wide and varied as he has deliberately strived to include some of the lesser know aircraft, ships and events in his portfolio, which includes aircraft like the Defiant, TSR2, Beaufort, ships including MTBs and corvettes, and around 100 different aircraft of the first world war. In addition to this he has taken new approaches to the classic subjects of his field, including the Dambuster Lancasters, Battle of Britain Spitfires, Bf109s and Hurricanes, HMS Hood, Bismarck and the best known naval ships, as well as some iconic sporting moments. In his own words : Art and aviation have been like a brother and sister to me. We have grown up together, learned together and made our adult lives together. But you do not have to have an appreciation of aircraft to admire the graceful lines of a Spitfire or the functional simplicity of a Focke-Wulf 190. They are themselves a work of art and they cry out to be painted - not as machines of war and destruction, but as objects of beauty, born of necessity and function, yet given a life and iconic classicism beyond their original calling. My interest and love of art and aircraft was gifted to me by my father, a designer and aeronautical engineer of considerable repute. Denis Berryman C.Eng. FRAeS. He gave me his eyes, his passion, his dedication and his unwavering professionalism. I owe him everything. And I miss him terribly. A love of art and of beautiful and interesting things takes you on a journey. You discover new interests, new fascinations, and you want to paint them. You want to paint them in their environment, in their element. Whether it is an aeroplane, a warship, a racing car or a beautiful woman, their gift to an artist is the same: Their lines, their texture and the way that light and shadows give them form. These are the food and oxygen of an artist. Not the paint and the canvas. These are mere tools. The secret is in the passion and the perception...

Ivan with some of his original paintings in the originals gallery at Cranston Fine Arts and in his studio.

Although Simon became a full-time artist after leaving the RAF in 1985, he first began painting when his mother bought him a box of oil paints and an easel when he was just six years of age! He cannot recall a time when he was not painting in the intervening years, all the time honing his drawing and painting skills whilst accepting commissions from various Commanding Officers! Simon learned to fly, soloing in a Piper Tomahawk, experience which, he believes, gives him an empathy and feel for aircraft and aircrew you could not get in any other way. Unlike just about any other professional military artist, Simon is almost as much at home on the sea as in the air. His maritime-based paintings reflect his personal knowledge of the sea, ships and the often-unpredictable marine environment. Researching new aircraft and concepts for his next painting, and then getting stuck into the actual painting of a new picture he has first to see in his head, is what really excites and motivates Simon and he wouldnít have it any other way. Now firmly established as one of the top aviation artists in the world, collectors are always eagerly awaiting Simonís original paintings and Limited Edition Prints. Simon works from his studio in the beautiful county of Buckinghamshire, England.